#0 - Aug. 4, 2009, 5:09 p.m.
With the launch of patch 3.2, players now have the ability to extend the lockout period for heroic dungeons and raids. While instance locks will continue to reset at their normal intervals, should a player wish, he or she can prevent a lock from resetting by extending it for another lockout period.
Q: How can a player extend an instance lock?
A: A player may extend an instance lock by opening up the Raid Information pane (Social Tab -> Raid Info), selecting the instance he or she wishes to extend, and clicking on the “Extend Raid Lock” button.
Q: What types of instances are eligible for a lock extension?
A: Any instance which possesses a lockout period and an instance ID will be eligible for a lock extension. These include heroic dungeons and 10, 20, 25, and 40-person raids.
Q: When can an instance lock be extended?
A: A player may extend an instance lock at any point after he or she is saved to the instance.
Q: What happens if an instance lock expires? Can it still be extended?
A: Yes, an instance lock can still be extended once it expires. To extend an expired instance lock, a player need but simply reactivate the lockout ID.
Q: How can a player reactivate an expired instance lock?
A: A player may reactivate an expired instance lock by opening up the Raid Information pane, selecting the appropriate expired instance, and clicking on the “Reactive Raid Lock” button.
Q: Are there any limitations to when an expired instance lock can be reactivated?
A: A player may reactivate an expired instance lock so long as a new instance lock has not been created for that heroic dungeon or raid. The ability to reactivate an expired lock, however, will be removed after 4 weeks of inactivity (meaning, if a player does not use the instance for a month, the lock will permanently reset and cannot be reactivated).
Q: How long will a lock extension last?
A: The duration of a lock extension will depend on the type of lock the extension is being applied to (active or reactivated).
If an extension is being applied to an active instance lock, the amount of time added will be based on the normal lockout period for the instance. For example, instances with a 24-hour lockout period (heroic dungeons) will be extended for 24 hours and raids with a 7-day lockout period will be extended for 7 days.
If an extension is being applied to a reactivated instance lock, the amount of time added will only extend to the next reset period. For example, if an instance lock is reactivated on a Sunday, but is scheduled to reset during the next maintenance period, the lock will only remain active until the following Tuesday. Reactivated instance locks cannot be additionally extended.
Q: How many times can an instance lock be extended?
A: At this time, an instance lock can be extended indefinitely; however, some instance locks may be reset when a new patch is released. Similarly, an expired instance lock may be repeatedly reactivated provided that it has not been permanently reset. If a patch is scheduled to reset an instance lock, notification will be provided before the patch’s release.
Q: When an instance lock is extended, will only the extending player’s instance lock be affected or will all party or raid members have their instance locks extended, too?
A: Extending an instance lock is a personal choice. If a player decides to extend their instance lock, no other party or raid members will be affected (this applies even if the extending player is a party or raid leader).
Q: What happens if a player extends their instance lock accidentally? Can an instance lock extension be removed?
A: Yes, a player may remove an instance lock extension at any point during the normal lockout period. Once the normal lockout period expires, though, a player may only remove a lock extension provided that he or she does not get saved to the instance after extending. To become saved to an extended instance lock, a player usually must either participate in a boss kill, zone into the instance after a boss has been killed, or wipe on a encounter with limited attempts; simply zoning into a newly extended instance or killing active trash mobs will not typically cause a player to become saved.
If a player attempts to enter an instance with a lock extension and will become saved to the instance as a result of entering it, though, he or she should receive the following message: “You have entered an instance that you will be locked to in <x> seconds” and the option to “Accept” or “Leave Instance.” This message will also appear if a player attempts to remove an instance lock extension while still inside the newly extended instance.
Q: How can a player remove an instance lock extension?
A: A player may remove an eligible instance lock extension by opening up the Raid Information page, selecting the appropriate extended instance lock, and clicking on the “Remove Raid Lock” button. This applies, as well, for removing an extension from a reactivated instance lock. When a reactivated instance lock is removed, the lockout ID will once again expire.
Q: What happens if a player accidentally enters an instance with a lock that has been extended? Will that player be automatically saved to that instance lock?
A: No , as with normal instance locks, a player will be first prompted by the confirmation “Accept”/ “Leave Instance” message.
Should you possess any questions or concerns related to instance lock extensions that are not covered within this FAQ, please do not hesitate to create a topic herein. Comments, suggestions, and recommendations regarding this new feature, however, are best directed to our Suggestions Forum.